1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to frames, mounts and/or bezels for packaging sealed flat-glass assemblies and for mounting such glass assemblies in end products, and to flat-glass assemblies for such frames, mounts or bezels. The flat-glass assemblies may be, for example, plasma, liquid crystal (LCD) or organic light emitting diode (OLED) display panels, in particular frit-sealed OLED display panels, or OLED lighting products.
2. Description of Related Art
Producing flat glass panel assemblies for plasma, LCD and OLED displays involves many challenges. A key requirement for such processes is the ability to package and mount the display panels in an end device in a manner that balances cost, performance, and durability. Displays based on organic light emitting diode (OLED) technology are particularly sensitive to many factors, such as to the diffusion of oxygen and moisture into the OLED display. In order for an OLED display panel to have a satisfactory lifetime, it must be hermetically sealed to prevent incursion of oxygen and moisture into the display panel, or must include getter material within the panel to absorb moister that does leak into the display.
One method for sealing an OLED display panel assembly is to seal the perimeter of the cover glass plate to the perimeter of the backplane glass plate with an epoxy or other polymeric adhesive. Such a polymeric seal is not hermetic and requires a getter material to be included within the display panel to absorb moisture that leaks through the polymeric sealing material, driving up the cost of manufacturing the display panel.
A method for hermetically sealing an OLED display panel, and thereby eliminating the need for getter material, is to seal the perimeter of the display panel or to encapsulate the OLED material with a glass frit sealing material. Glass frit is brittle, and is therefore susceptible to fracturing when the display panel is subjected to mechanical shock or bending, potentially breaching the hermetic seal. Impact and bending stresses may also cause or propagate a flaw along the edges of the glass plates of the assembly 1, which may eventually propagate into the frit-seal barrier and allow the penetration of moisture and oxygen into the assembly. Thus, there is a need to increase the structural integrity and durability of a frit sealed display panel or other glass assembly, by making it more resistant to mechanical shock and bending.
To protect against mechanical shock and bending, and other factors undermining the hermetically sealed glass panel's structural integrity, the assembly is typically packaged in a bezel, mount or frame, or combination of more than one of these, that provides a support structure and a protective shell for the glass assembly. As plasma, LCD and OLED display panels, and other hermetically sealed glass packages, continue to become larger with advances in technology and decreases in manufacturing cost, there is a need to further improve the packaging technology for such hermetically sealed glass assemblies.